WATCH: Butch Jones goes on rant regarding negativity, fake news surrounding Tennessee football program
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During his Monday afternoon press conference, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones went on an epic rant unlike any other he’s had during his time on Rocky Top
The episode occurred during the closing segment of his press conference and was sparked when multiple local reporters asked Jones about Shy Tuttle’s injury. (There have been local rumors that Tuttle was assaulted by a teammate, forcing him to miss the UMass game.)
When asked about Tuttle’s injury, here’s what Jones had to say:
“The injury was caused not by a teammate. He landed on a helmet and that’s the truth,” Jones answered. “We have to understand, what do we want out of our media? This place with the drama. These are kids and I think we all have children and we are all adults. Are we focused on Tennessee football?
“From a recruiting standpoint, from all the positive things we’ve done, from all the positive things this football program brings to the community, this great fan base — are we in the reality world of TV? I think all of us as human beings have to self-check ourselves. You may not like that answer, but I’m a father, I have three boys, and I think we sometimes put ourselves in the role of a parent, and I understand we all have jobs to do…
“My job description, I’m the caretaker of Tennessee football. I’m here to develop and grow a football program, recruit the best possible student-athletes to represent the University of Tennessee and win football game and graduate our players. That’s my responsibility. I take that very seriously.
“But also, I love our kids and I’m going to protect our players and I’m going to protect our program. Sometimes the negativity is overwhelming. If everyone is Vol fans, how do we let our opponents use this in the recruiting process with fake news?
Jones closed his press conference with this final thought.
“There comes a certain time where enough is enough,” Jones continued. “So thank you, you guys have a great day, look forward to seeing you Wednesday. Go Vols.”
Here’s the end to Butch Jones’ press conference pic.twitter.com/8M9IOQdQWX
— Saturday Down South (@SDS) September 25, 2017
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
